Holdout Utah counties now letting gay couples wed

BY PAUL FOY

ASSOCIATED PRESS

SALT LAKE CITY -- The last of the Utah counties that were holding out on issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples reversed course Thursday and decided to hand out licenses to all eligible applicants.

Officials for the four holdouts — Box Elder, Utah, Piute and San Juan counties — told The Associated Press they made the decision to offer licenses to same-sex couples.

County clerks say they had little choice after an appeals court Tuesday declined to intervene and halt gay marriage. U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby on Friday ruled that Utah's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional, sending gay couples rushing to clerk offices for licenses.

The state is preparing an appeal.

The Utah attorney general's office had said counties could be held in contempt of federal court if they refused to comply.